History of Asian Americans
The history of people of Asian ancestry in the United States, shaped by migration, community formation, exclusion, activism, and cultural change.
Chinese immigration to the United States: The migration of people from China to the United States, especially during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Chinese migrants formed early communities and faced landmark exclusion laws.
Japanese American incarceration: The forced removal and confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II under U.S. government orders. It uprooted communities and became a defining episode in debates about race and civil liberties.
Yuri Kochiyama: A Japanese American activist who organized for civil rights, political prisoners, and reparations. Her cross-movement organizing linked Japanese American redress to broader struggles for justice.
Japanese American redress: The campaign that secured a U.S. government apology and reparations for Japanese American wartime incarceration. Organizing converted the history of incarceration into a federal acknowledgment and remedy.
Asian American: A U.S. identity category encompassing people with roots in Asia and the Asian diaspora. The category links diverse histories while raising questions about shared identity and difference.
Japanese American history: The history of people of Japanese ancestry in the United States, including immigration, incarceration, and community rebuilding. Japanese migration and wartime incarceration shaped distinctive community histories.
Alien land laws: State laws that restricted land ownership by immigrants deemed ineligible for U.S. citizenship. They targeted Asian immigrants and obstructed farming, property ownership, and settlement.
Larry Itliong: A Filipino American labor organizer who helped lead the 1965 Delano grape strike. His organizing shows the central role of Filipino workers in farm labor activism.
Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians: A U.S. congressional commission that investigated wartime removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans. Its findings documented the role of racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and failed leadership.
Asian American identity: A changing sense of collective belonging among people of Asian ancestry in the United States. Its meaning has shifted with migration, activism, generational change, and racialization.